Stress, illness and Coping Flashcards
How does stress affect health?
- causes ill health and reduced QoL
- can lead to increase i help-seeking behaviours (e.g. medical Rx)
- often leads to a loss of working days (this is often used a measure of stress)
=> most common work-related illness
How is stress quantified?
often look at ‘loss of working days’ as a measure of stress
e.g. in Labour force survey, as this is the most common element of reporting seen for sickness absence
What is the trend for stress between sexes
WOMEN: report higher stress and have higher rates of reporting
Which occupations have the highest stress rates?
- health professionals
- public admin
- defence
- teachers
[highest prevalence]
What is meant by ‘STRESSOR’ in stress perception?’
- threats
- demands
- challenges
can be real or imaginary
these are the perceived stimuli which cause stress
What are the main types of ‘STRESS RESPONSES?’
- emotional
- physiological
- behavioural
- Cognitive
‘multidimensional (di)stress response’
What is ‘STRAIN’ in stress perception?
The consequence on that individual of experiencing acute or chronic stress
e.g. high BP, high HR, churning stomach, anxiety
What stress responses are considered PHYSIOLOGICAL?
- HR
- BP
- Immune system
- ANS
(Hypothalamic/pituitary axis, sympathetic/adrenal/medullary axis)
What stress responses are considered EMOTIONAL?
- anxiety
- sadness
- anger
- hopelessness
- guilt
- numbness
- shame
- fear
What stress responses are considered COGNITIVE?
- worry
- memory
- concentration/confusion
- obsessive
- intrusive thoughts
What stress responses are considered BEHAVIOURAL?
escape and avoidance
- drugs/EtOH
- violence
- social withdrawal
- exercise
- distraction tasks
Confrontation
- violence
What kind of construct is stress?
Bio-psycho-social
What are the different types of STRESSORS in a stress response?
- External traumatic
- Internal conflicts
- Life events
- Unpredictable
5 Everyday events/daily hassles - Environmental
What are EXTERNAL TRAUMATIC stressors?
- real threat of serious injury or death
- murder, assault etc
- war
- natural disasters
These are ABSOLUTE stressors = real threat to survival
What are INTERNAL CONFLICT stressors?
- indecision
- uncertainty
- guilt
- fear of rejection
- fear of failure
- envy
these are IMAGINARY/RELATIVE stressors caused by threat perception
“What if…?”
What are LIFE EVENT stressors?
- marriage
- divorce
- bereavement
- important exams
What are UNPREDICTABLE stressors?
- acute health events
- sudden illness Dx
- accident
- bullying
- relationship breakdown
What are EVERYDAY EVENT stressor?
- commuting
- mishaps
- exams
- being late
- social gatherings
What are ENVIRONMENTAL stressors?
- unsafe neighbourhoods
- loud noise
- increased risk
- work deadlines
- hot climate temperatures
What are the types of SOCIAL EVALUATIVE STRESSORS?
- threats to social status (e.g. bereavement, retirement, disability)
- Social esteem+self worth (social position, role change, disability)
- Acceptance within community ( peer pressure, conformity, stigma, loneliness)
- Threats (no control over): antisocial behaviour, stalking, financial or political threats, BREXIT)
What are the PSYCHOBIOLOGICAL factors that influence stress?
- Biomedical: hunger, tireless, pain
- Psychological: personality, self-esteem hostility, resilience
- Social: gender, education, neglect, deprivation
- Culture: socially expected behaviour, conformity
Stress does not affect all people equally
What factors increase the perception of stress?
Stressors that are:
- uncontrollable
- unpredictable
- novel
[Mason 1968, Lupien 2006]
How does CONTROL affect perceive stress?
Having control or responsibility can significantly improve/reduce stress
perception of control (regardless of whether it is used) can remove the stressor effect
[Langer and Rodin, 1976)
How does PREDICTABILITY affect stress perception?
Lack of predictability associated with elevated stress perception (+ increased salivary cortisol levels)
What is stress?
physical and emotional response to any situation that is perceived as overwhelming
Depends on specific psychobiological determinants that tigger stress response in a given individual
How does time factor into stress perception?
can be a factor in stress perception
but (lack of) time is not a defined component of stress itself
What are the 3 models of stress?
Stress Response (physiological): GENERAL ADAPTATION SYNDROME
Stress stimuli: LIFE CHANGE MODEL
Stress as a process (interplay between us and environment/others): TRANSACTIONAL MODEL
What is the GENERAL ADAPTATION SYNDROME?
= Stress response model
stress stimulates a series of non-specific universal physiological responses
3 response stages:
- Alarm reaction
- Resistance
- Exhaustion
What occur in the various stages of the general adaptation syndrome model of stress?
ALARM: HPLA and SAM responses occur following identification of stress. This is a short phase with acute stressor
RESISTANCE: occurs with chronic stressors, acute response is switched off but homeostasis cannot be returned
Cellular resistance can cause tissue damage
EXHAUSTION: Consequence of maladaptive resistance response, whereby its will impact normal function
e.g. immune dysfunction, CVS mortality etc
What are the main components of the human stress response?
- homeostasis
- alarm stage
- resistance
- exhaustion
[correlate with Selye’s general adaption syndrome]
How does the general adaptation syndrome (GAS) fare in modern living?
modern life = chronic stress mostly
So missing stage is the recovery phase (perpetuate the resistance and exhaustion phases)
What are the limitations of the general adaptation syndrome (GAS)?
- assumes AUTOMATIC response to EXTERNAL stressors
- all stressors do NOT produce the same physiological, responses. They each produce specific responses for that individual
- Individual psychos coal factors are not taken into account
